Paired With The Potterhead

Chapter Two: Conversations

Body Talk - Foxes

Chapter Two: Conversations

My best friend Sam was gay. This didn't make me hate him or love him any less. He wasn't the overly obnoxiously gay and he wasn't into manly stuff like sports or cars either. He wasn't even the type that you didn't even know was gay. Everyone knew. The whole school knew. But he wasn't the type to go around flaunting it like it was some sort of gift or something. He just went about his life like it was nothing. He was very unique in the sense that he didn't fit into a category. Sam was his own category.

He smiled at me as I walked into my chemistry class. He was seated at the far back next to the window where he usually just text on his phone or doodled. The asshole doesn't even need to pay attention to the teacher. If he reads the material, he immediately knows it. He's a certified genius in my book (except when it came to Algebra).

"Nora the Nerd, huh? Which part of Hell froze over to make that happen?" He wiggled his thick eyebrows as I took my seat next to him.

"News travels fast," I groaned. "It was obviously a joke. Yelchin wanted to push my buttons and humiliate me in front of the entire school-"

"Yes. That's totally what he had in mind." Sam opened his notebook with a snort. He was just as sarcastic as I was, if not a little more. "It's only for one project, Lane. It's not like you have to get married and start a family with her."

"If I do will you donate your sperm?"

"Where else is your baby going to get their good looks from?"

I laughed and swat him with my folder just as our chemistry teacher, Ms. Royce, stepped into the room. She wasted no time writing a chemical formula on the board and asked us to simplify it.

"What book are you guys going to do?" Sam whispered as he copied down the equation.

"No idea. She wants to meet me during lunch so we can decide," I whispered back. "She's so cheery. It's disturbing."

"You're just so used to channeling your inner Grumpy Cat. You don't know how to be cheerful. When's the last time you skipped down the hallway or whistled a merry tune?" He snickered as I sent him the death glare. "Relax. I'm sure it's all a front. Maybe she's just as miserable as you are."

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't miserable. Sam just liked taking a jab at the fact I love anything punk. Gore. Horror. That kind of stuff. He still doesn't realize it's not the same as being goth. "When's the last time you and the band got a gig?"

He cringed. "Ouch. That one hurt. And for your information, we have a gig coming up on Saturday. At Tacos and Stuff."

I accidentally snorted out loud, causing everyone to glance in my direction. "The taco truck in the mall parking lot? That's hardly a gig. That's more like playing for cash with your guitar case open at your feet."

He flipped me the finger. "We'd be getting better gigs if you came back to the band. The guys would love to have you again."

I had formed a band with Sam back in our freshman year, thinking it would cool and we'd make some money and friends that way. But due to an argument I had with my dad, I had to quit the band. Sam has been devastated ever since. No one knew how to play bass like I did.

"If I come back-"

"When you come back," he corrected.

"If I come back, you need to change the band name-"

Someone cleared their throat. Ms. Royce was looking in our direction with a cold expression on her old face.

"Do you two have something you want to discuss with the rest of the class?" Her voice grated. She was a walking nails on a chalkboard.